New heavy vehicle rest area to boost safety on Hume Highway

18 August 2017

A new rest area providing parking for up to 20 B-doubles is now open on the Hume Highway at Murlo, near Mullengandra in southern New South Wales.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the purpose-built rest area, located about 30 kilometres north of Albury, was funded under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programme.

“This project has delivered a high-quality rest facility that will make it easier for all drivers, particularly heavy vehicle drivers, to take adequate breaks in order to stay alert and safe on our roads,” Mr Chester said.

“The Australian Government is working hard to reduce fatalities on our roads by tackling driver fatigue through our $189.2 million investment in 136 projects like this nationwide under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programme.”

NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said the rest area was part of a $6.17 million investment by the Australian and New South Wales governments.

“Last year inter-capital freight moving through Albury was approximately 16 million tonnes, which underlines the importance of this rest area – it has been strategically built here to help reduce the number of incidents involving heavy vehicles by targeting fatigue,” Mrs Pavey said.

Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley said around 5,000 vehicles travelled through this section of the Hume Highway each day, underlining the importance of the new facilities.

“The new rest area has a separate parking area for light vehicles, with six standard parking bays and one disabled parking bay, as well as an amenities block with picnic tables and landscaping. It’s a great spot for motorists and heavy vehicle drivers to take a break and refresh before continuing their journey,” Ms Ley said.

“We recognise the importance of adequate rest breaks for heavy vehicle and motorist safety, and this new facility will be a big boost in keeping drivers fresh and alert.”

NSW Member for Albury Greg Aplin said the new rest area was accessible from the northbound lane of the Hume Highway and had been designed to meet future freight movements.

“We are doing everything we can to move towards zero fatalities involving heavy vehicles, and we expect this new rest area to be primarily used by truckers moving through Albury on long distance inter-capital trips,” Mr Aplin said.

Construction on the project started in November 2016 and was completed in mid-July 2017. The Australian and New South Wales governments each contributed $3.085 million toward the $6.17 million project.